This course is based on the Minecraft: Education Edition platform. Students learn block-based coding with Microsoft MakeCode. Then they learn to navigate using coordinates and gradually become familiar with new programming concepts, such as events and variables, which they use to create their Minecraft world. They also learn how to diagnose an advanced code – with such elements as conditionals, functions and arrays – and debug it. Apart from coding, they dive into the topic of artificial intelligence (AI), discuss some AI-related ethical concerns and explore the ways in which they can code their agent so that it behaves intelligently. Towards the end of the course, students carry out their own projects to showcase their new programming skills.
After the course students:
- Create a block-based code in Microsoft MakeCode and change their Minecraft world through the code
- Know the concept of events and how events can trigger the code in the game
- Know the difference between relative and absolute coordinates and are able to use them to determine their position and the location of other objects
- Are familiar with variables and able to apply them in the code
- Create “if then” and “if then else” conditionals and are able to use them to debug the code
- Understand the concept of artificial intelligence, are able to point to differences between human and machine intelligence, and discuss ethical issues related with AI
